Airpods Pro 3 Review: A Significant Update To Apple’s Best Earbuds

If you’re not already wearing a brace of AirPods each day, Apple’s latest suite of features whitethorn person you to do so. The company’s latest model, nan AirPods Pro 3 ($249), is Apple’s astir broad update to its champion group of earbuds. Flashy caller features for illustration Live Translation and heart-rate sensing will garner nan bulk of nan attention, but upgrades to progressive sound cancellation (ANC) and a important boost successful sound value shouldn’t beryllium overlooked. And pinch a notable betterment successful artillery life, nan institution now provides capable powerfulness for you to usage these AirPods for an full activity day. Importantly, Apple managed to do each this without raising nan price.

The AirPods Pro 3 besides transportation galore of nan aforesaid features that made nan AirPods Pro 2 specified a compelling action for iPhone users. Those see nan robust hearing wellness tools, hands-free entree to Siri, gesture-based notification interactions, audio sharing pinch different group of AirPods, simplified setup and more.

Since I’ve gone complete each of these astatine magnitude before, and because there’s a agelong database of updates connected nan AirPods Pro 3, I’ve chosen to attraction chiefly connected nan caller devices successful this review. But you shouldn’t place nan exhaustive group of features that nan AirPods Pro person amassed complete nan years, particularly erstwhile you see really Apple continues to find caller ways to deploy its H2 chip.

Design changes connected nan AirPods Pro 3

With a cursory glance, you apt won’t announcement nan creation changes connected nan AirPods Pro 3. The institution altered nan style of these smaller earbuds to align pinch nan geometry of nan receptor canal for a much comfortable and unafraid fit. Of course, you’ll besides announcement nan recently installed heart-rate sensor upon person inspection, covering a antecedently blank aboveground of nan AirPods Pro 2. Once you region nan caller foam-infused receptor tips from nan latest exemplary though, you’ll spot nan astir evident variety betwixt nan second- and third-generation versions.

On nan AirPods Pro 2, nan grille protecting nan driver sat flush pinch nan aboveground of nan main housing. Now, it’s extended retired from nan remainder of nan earbud, pinch a nozzle-like constituent akin to what overmuch of nan title uses. Apple besides revised nan perspective of nan drivers, truthful sound beams much straight into your ears alternatively than bouncing arsenic overmuch disconnected of nan sides. As such, a side-by-side comparison of nan AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 2 will show you that nan receptor tips are pointing successful somewhat different directions.

There are besides immoderate ocular differences connected nan AirPods Pro 3’s charging case. Like it did for nan AirPods 4 past year, Apple has removed nan Bluetooth pairing fastener entirely. You’ll now double pat connected nan beforehand of nan lawsuit adjacent nan LED to activate that usability while nan AirPods Pro are successful their case. Additionally, conscionable for illustration AirPods 4, nan LED is now hidden, truthful you don’t spot nan dot erstwhile it’s not illuminated. It’s a mini thing, but arsenic I noticed connected past year’s models, it makes nan aboveground of nan lawsuit look cleaner.

A speedy connection astir fit

Thanks to nan AirPods Pro 3’s revised curves and foam-filled receptor tips, Apple is calling this exemplary nan “best-fitting AirPods ever.” While I do deliberation that’s true, I besides judge that nan caller fresh will return immoderate getting utilized to — particularly if you’ve worn nan AirPods Pro 2 before.

First, nan caller tips consciousness very different and seal disconnected your receptor canal successful a much complete measurement than nan Pro 2’s silicone-only tips. If you’ve utilized foam receptor tips before, you cognize they supply amended passive sound isolation than their silicone counterparts, and that remains existent here. In fact, you whitethorn request to spell down a size to find nan astir comfortable fresh pinch nan AirPods Pro 3. For example, I typically deterioration mean receptor tips, but those felt excessively tight here. After swapping them retired for nan mini ones, I began to understand why Apple won’t extremity bragging astir nan updated fit.

Upgraded ANC and its effect connected different features

Across nan first 2 generations of nan AirPods Pro, Apple had already made large strides successful progressive sound cancellation. But pinch nan AirPods Pro 3, nan institution ramped up its efforts respective notches. Ultra-low-noise microphones harvester pinch precocious computational audio to soundlessness moreover much inheritance noise. The caller foam-infused receptor tips play a awesome domiciled present too, since they connection accrued passive sound isolation. This trio of improvements allowed Apple to screen much of nan sound spectrum, including higher frequencies for illustration quality voices.

In nan past week, location person been respective times erstwhile I had nan AirPods Pro 3 successful and I couldn’t perceive personification talking correct adjacent to me. In fact, Apple says nan latest exemplary cancels doubly arsenic overmuch sound arsenic nan AirPods Pro 2 and 4 times much than nan original AirPods Pro. Obviously, I don’t person a measurement to quantify that, but I tin show you nan ANC capacity connected this caller exemplary was noticeably stronger than before.

The improved seal nan AirPods Pro 3’s receptor tips connection helps make Apple’s ANC setup much precise. This allows nan progressive sound cancellation strategy to beryllium nan instauration for respective of nan company’s different features for illustration nan Hearing Test, Live Translation and more. For nan Hearing Test, you tin now beryllium successful somewhat louder environments without Siri asking you to relocate to a quieter place. And pinch Live Translation, ANC will little nan sound of nan personification you’re speaking to truthful you tin attraction connected Siri playing nan domiciled of interpreter.

Live Translation connected nan AirPods Pro 3

At WWDC, Apple announced that Live Translation would beryllium coming to Phone, FaceTime and Messages in iOS 26. There was nary mention past that it would travel to AirPods. Skip up to nan iPhone 17 arena and Live Translation was easy 1 of nan astir breathtaking caller features announced for nan AirPods Pro 3, because it will let nan wearer to construe in-person conversations pinch Apple’s earbuds.

Google has been offering real-time translator connected Pixel Buds for years, truthful Apple is very precocious to nan crippled here. However, nan AirPods Pro 3 uses its H2 spot successful different ways, and now combines Voice Isolation, ANC and nan beamforming mics to alteration Live Translation. What’s more, you tin activate it connected nan earbuds themselves (press and clasp connected some stems), inquire Siri to commencement it aliases group nan iPhone’s Action Button to transportation retired nan task.

When Live Translation begins, ANC kicks successful to muffle biology sound and to trim nan measurement of nan personification you’re speaking to. Both are done truthful you tin intelligibly perceive Siri’s translator done your AirPods. Siri will pass you erstwhile ambient sound levels are excessively high, asking you to move to a quieter spot truthful that it tin perceive nan speaker better.

Live Translation worked well, astatine slightest for my Spanish-to-English and French-to-English tests. Plus, a real-time transcription is visible successful nan Translate app truthful you tin show it to nan personification you’re chatting pinch — an constituent that’ll beryllium useful for world travel. Just cognize that if you’re looking astatine your telephone too, you’ll spot nan translator location earlier nan audio comes done your AirPods. This isn’t astonishing since nan processing is being done by nan connected iPhone, but seeing nan English type correct earlier I heard it was somewhat confusing.

You will request to alteration Apple Intelligence connected a compatible iPhone for Live Translation to work. The instrumentality leverages Apple’s AI to construe nan meanings of phrases truthful that sentences person nan due context. The characteristic will besides beryllium disposable connected immoderate AirPods that person nan H2 spot inside, which includes nan AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 pinch ANC. You’ll person to download nan different connection models earlier you get started, too. Apple explains that nan downloads would beryllium required for offline use, but Siri prompted maine to do truthful to usage Live Translation moreover erstwhile I was was connected. Lastly, only 5 languages are supported astatine launch: English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Apple says Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (simplified) are coming later this year.

Heart-rate search yet arrives

After initially debuting heart-rate sensing capabilities connected the Powerbeats Pro 2, Apple is now bringing it to nan AirPods Pro 3. Like pinch nan Powerbeats model, bosom complaint information from nan AirPods tin beryllium accessed by Apple’s ain Fitness app successful summation to different workout apps for illustration Nike Run Club, Runna, Ladder and Peloton. Basically, if an app useful pinch nan Powerbeats Pro 2, it should activity pinch nan AirPods Pro 3, and it should do truthful by nan clip those earbuds ship. As always, I expect moreover much integrations will beryllium announced successful nan future, truthful don’t panic if your go-to app has worked pinch Apple cogwheel successful nan past but doesn’t yet support nan AirPods Pro 3.

I exclusively tested nan caller heart-rate sensing tech connected nan AirPods Pro 3 pinch Apple’s Fitness app. I’m an Apple Watch proprietor and that’s wherever nan bulk of my stats already reside. Speaking of nan Watch, you don’t person to interest astir conflicting streams of bosom complaint info if you’re utilizing it arsenic good arsenic nan AirPods Pro 3 during a workout. Apple explained that its devices will activity together to supply aggregate streams of information for amended sum of your activity. What’s more, if you don’t deterioration your Apple Watch during a session, nan Fitness app will usage information gathered from nan AirPods Pro 3 to still log your stats for your Move, Exercise and Stand rings.

During this review, I utilized nan AirPods Pro 3 to show my bosom complaint chiefly during outdoor walks. The earbuds really support 50 different workouts successful nan Fitness app though, pinch HIIT, yoga and paddling among nan disposable options. You tin moreover way a convention astatine nan archery range.

You’ll spot unrecorded bosom complaint metrics connected nan workout surface alongside stats for illustration clip and distance, and your mean bosom complaint will beryllium displayed successful nan workout summary erstwhile you’re done. Heart complaint info is besides displayed pinch Live Activities connected nan fastener surface and is simply a pat distant connected nan icon successful nan Dynamic Island. So far, I haven’t encountered immoderate issues leaving my Watch astatine location and relying solely connected nan AirPods Pro 3. The earbuds provided a changeless watercourse of information to nan Fitness app.

The AirPods Pro 3’s sound quality

The betterment to sound value connected nan AirPods Pro 3 isn’t exclusively owed to its caller drivers/transducers. Although those components were revised this generation, Apple’s biggest strides successful nan audio section are besides acknowledgment to accrued aerial travel wrong nan earbuds. The institution developed a caller multiport acoustic architecture for amended power of nan aerial that delivers sounds into nan ear. This allowed Apple to importantly amended bass consequence while providing a wider soundstage and accrued vocal clarity.

With each of that aerial to move around, Apple had to tweak its drivers for nan task, but besides make judge its tuning covered each nan needed frequencies adequately. But those transducers stay nan aforesaid size arsenic nan AirPods Pro 2. As I mentioned, Apple besides reconfigured their perspective truthful they now beam sound much straight into nan receptor canal. You mightiness callback that an angular accommodation was besides portion of nan company’s strategy for improving audio value connected nan AirPods 4.

The betterment you perceive first will dangle connected nan style of euphony you choose. Pick thing pinch big, bombastic drums for illustration Deftones’ “my mind is simply a mountain” and you’ll instantly announcement nan warmer, boomier bass. Opt for a way for illustration Hayley Williams’ “True Believer” and your first belief will apt beryllium nan enhanced vocal quality. And if you spell for a opus for illustration Sleep Token’s “Dangerous” that’s much atmospheric, you’ll get a awesome consciousness of nan expanded soundstage.

Oftentimes audio companies make claims astir sound value improvements that don’t construe to what I really hear. With nan AirPods Pro 3, each of Apple’s proclamations not only clasp existent but are obvious, observable improvements.

Call value and sound performance

Apple’s best-in-class transparency mode has been 1 of my favourite things astir AirPods for years. No different institution manages to grip ambient sound successful a measurement that’s truthful clear it’s almost arsenic if you aren’t wearing earbuds astatine all. With nan AirPods Pro 3, Apple says it took things moreover further, making your sound and nan voices of those astir you sound “more earthy and vibrant.” The institution points specifically to Hearing Aid and Live Translation arsenic areas wherever this fine-tuned transparency mode will help, but it will besides beryllium a boost to sound and video calls, too.

Since Apple does specified a bully occupation of feeding your sound backmost done nan AirPods Pro 3 and different transparency-enabled AirPods models, you ne'er consciousness nan request to talk louder to perceive yourself connected calls. It lets you relax and speak normally, and makes a day’s worthy of Zoom calls overmuch little exhausting.

The AirPods Pro 3 support Apple’s recently introduced studio-quality sound recording arsenic well. Arriving pinch iOS 26, nan characteristic allows you to seizure higher-quality vocal clips successful apps for illustration Camera, Voice Memos, Messages, FaceTime and immoderate CallKit-enabled software. And erstwhile you’re signaling video pinch an iPhone, you tin now quickly prime AirPods arsenic nan main audio source. The earbuds tin enactment arsenic a lavalier microphone pinch sound pickup that’s person to your mouth.

The AirPods Pro 3’s artillery life

Even pinch each of nan caller features, Apple still managed to widen nan AirPods Pro’s artillery life. With ANC enabled, you tin now expect up to 8 hours of usage connected a complaint — 2 hours longer than nan AirPods Pro 2. This intends you could beryllium capable to deterioration nan caller exemplary for a afloat time of activity without having to complaint them. Additionally, Apple says that if you’re utilizing transparency mode pinch nan Hearing Aid feature, AirPods Pro 3 will past up to 10 hours.

So far, I person nary logic to deliberation Apple has overstated artillery life connected nan AirPods Pro 3. I haven’t conducted a consecutive artillery rundown trial yet arsenic I’ve been focused connected trying each of nan caller features astatine various times complete nan past fewer days. I will update this reappraisal later this week pinch nan results of my artillery trial though.

If you find nan promised 8 hours still isn’t enough, a five-minute remainder successful nan lawsuit will beryllium capable to springiness you an hr of use. That’s agelong capable to get you done a speedy workout aliases a telephone erstwhile you request to support things hands-free. There is an important caveat pinch nan lawsuit though. Despite nan extended usage clip connected nan earbuds themselves, nan full artillery life including nan lawsuit is reduced to 24 hours from nan erstwhile 30. There’s besides a caller ultra wideband spot (U2) successful nan charging lawsuit that Apple says has accrued nan region for Precision Find My by 1 and a half times compared to nan erstwhile version.

The competition

Since the “regular” AirPods now connection ANC, Apple’s superior title for nan AirPods Pro 3 comes from wrong its ain merchandise lineup. The AirPods 4 pinch ANC connection an open-type fresh moreover though they person awesome noise-blocking abilities, truthful they whitethorn beryllium much comfortable for those who don’t for illustration buds sticking into their receptor canals. You’ll get Live Translation location too, but you won’t beryllium capable to entree heart-rate search and Apple’s suite of proceeding wellness tools. That mightiness not matter to those who want to prevention immoderate money though, arsenic nan AirPods 4 pinch ANC are $179 versus $249 for nan AirPods Pro 3.

All AirPods are really a conduit for Apple’s ecosystem, truthful if you don’t mind missing immoderate iPhone integrations and typical features, location are worthwhile alternatives. Sony’s WF-1000XM5 remains a jack of each trades, offering a group of features that possibly only Apple tin rival. The quality being that Sony’s devices will activity pinch some iOS and Android, of course. The second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are your champion stake for axenic noise-canceling abilities, and if you request pristine sound, see Noble Audio’s FoKus Rex5.

Wrap-up

The AirPods Pro 3 is nan biggest update to Apple’s earbuds lineup successful years. The sum of nan company’s upgrades present are much important than nan prime to yet bring ANC to nan “regular” AirPods past year. The operation of much precise ANC, improved sound quality, heart-rate tracking, Live Translation and longer artillery life is simply a batch to explore. And that’s not moreover counting nan redesign and caller receptor tips that connection a much unafraid fit, 2 items that straight reside 1 of nan main criticisms of erstwhile AirPods models.

If caller history is immoderate indication, nan institution will proceed to adhd caller features to this third-generation version. I highly uncertainty that Apple is vanished exploiting nan powerfulness of nan H2 chip, truthful it's conscionable getting started pinch what nan AirPods Pro 3 tin do.